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Social Sciences, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Policy Studies in Education (SHIPS)

The power in the SHIPS approach to doctoral study is the way it opens up the possibilities for educational research by combining two distinctive approaches. One is to develop expertise in a disciplinary tradition. In this vein we offer seven programs in Humanities and Social Sciences in education (HSS): anthropology; economics; history; linguistics; organizational studies; philosophy; and sociology. The other approach is to develop expertise in a major issue area in education. In this vein, we offer four programs in Issue Domains in Education (IDE): educational policy; higher education; international comparative education (ICE); and education data science (EDS). 

All doctoral students in SHIPS may pursue one of four program options:

  1. A program in one of the seven HSS disciplines
  2. A program in one of the four IDE areas
  3. A program in one of the cross-area specializations
  4. A dual specialization in two of the aforementioned programs

Degree Program

The majority of our PhD graduates in the SHIPS area express an interest in pursuing a university career in teaching and research. Other graduates seek employment in educational research and policy settings at both public and private research organizations. Some of our recent graduates are employed at the following locations:

  • Boston University Education Faculty
  • Brown University Education Faculty
  • Columbia Teachers College Education Faculty
  • Columbia University Sociology Faculty
  • CUNY Sociology Faculty
  • Duke Sociology Postdoc
  • Harvard Graduate School of Education Faculty
  • New York University Education Faculty
  • Oxford University Postdoc
  • San Jose State University Education Faculty
  • Stanford Education Postdoc
  • Tampere University Business Faculty
  • Temple University Education Faculty
  • Tulane University Sociology Faculty
  • UC Berkeley Information Science Postdoc
  • UC San Diego Education Faculty
  • UCLA Ethnomusicology Faculty
  • UCLA Postdoc
  • University of Alabama Education Faculty
  • University of Amsterdam Communication Faculty
  • University of Colorado Boulder Education Faculty
  • University of Florida Sociology Faculty
  • University of Hawai’i at Manoa Education Faculty
  • University of Michigan Sociology Postdoc
  • University of Pennsylvania Education Faculty
  • University of Virginia Education Faculty
  • University of Wisconsin Education Faculty
  • Vanderbilt Graduate School of Education Faculty
  • Brandeis University Education Faculty
  • Yale Institute for Sacred Music Postdoc
  • Katz Center for Jewish Studies Postdoc

Other organizations:

  • AirBnB
  • Apple
  • Google
  • Inter-American Development Bank
  • Mathematica
  • McKinsey and Company
  • Meta, Inc
  • SRI International
  • Uber
  • Walmart Global Tech
  • World Bank

Area Faculty & Affiliates

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